Thoughts of a Christian …

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The Greatest Crown

So I started to watch The Crown on Netflix and may I just say how much I love British drama? Like, seriously, they have such a posh and polished way of snubbing people, its awesome! And so much of it made more sense to me now that I have a little bit of knowledge about Church History, thanks to Matt Lowe’s class last year.

But what I love most about shows like The Crown and Downton Abbey, is the reverence and respect that is expressed toward people of a higher standing and authority. No one has to tell the people to respect the Queen or Mr. Crawley. It is an unsaid understanding. The authority they have seems like an aura around them and everyone else simply bows to it. No questions asked. It has always baffled me. But then, I look around me and see that my Indian culture has pretty much taught me the same thing. Respect your elders and people with authority. This voice in my head tells me that I can never say some things in front of people with authority or take a certain tone with them. It has been drilled into my personality.

Then I think about Jesus and how, despite his appearance or his clothes or even his background, He has so many followers. You could say He was just a natural leader. But He was more than that. He had an aura of authority around Him and only the people that cared enough to pay close attention felt it and bowed down to it. To a random passerby, He may have seemed like merely a good public speaker. But if they paid attention, His speeches showed authority and commanded respect and reverence. He didn’t have to wear an actual crown or preside over an estate to prove His authority. He was a mere baby, when He was first recognised as the promised Messiah. He was twelve when he baffled religious teachers. So even before the heavens declared He was different, after His baptism, even before His first miracle, people had started to see there was something worth respecting about Him. Even if it wasn’t everyone.

It is this Crown that we are called to worship and revere. A Crown that stoops down to us in love and doesn’t keep us at a distance because of His authority, but that His love outweighs all else, even our faults. A Crown that aims to serve rather than be served. A Crown that gives peace and not fear. A Crown that is personal and life-saving. A Crown that is all-powerful yet ever-gentle. A Crown that is relentless in pursuit of your trust. A Crown that is accessible to all. The greatest Crown of all.